


Let Me Save You

by MidnightBlue66



Series: Whumptober 2020 [1]
Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: No.9, Self-Sacrifice, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 15:53:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26920201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightBlue66/pseuds/MidnightBlue66
Summary: When a retrieval op turned out to be nothing more than a trap.
Relationships: Ezra Bridger & Darth Maul
Series: Whumptober 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1964185
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	Let Me Save You

The _Ghost_ was sent on a retrieval mission. They had gotten intel that there were forgotten medical supplies and some weaponry at an abandoned outpost on a moon in the Outer Rim, which were much needed for the growing rebellion. Since the place was abandoned, there should be no trouble, and certainly no Empire. The mission started off smoothly, and they had gotten two crates worth of supplies before making their way back to the ship. And by that point, Ezra almost wished that it had been the Empire awaiting them - heck, he’d even welcome a new inquisitor in place of the foe standing before them.

Maul smirked as he eyed his opponents, clearly thinking of them as nothing but flies he could easily swat away. Ezra tightened his grip on his lightsaber, his instinct screaming at him to run. He knew he was outmatched and with Kanan not at his side, he was certain of defeat.

“I see the Jedi is still recovering,” Maul observed, his tone pleased. “A pity... I had very much wanted to finish what I had started.” 

Ezra gritted his teeth and glared, his anger rising. Maul’s smirk widened at sensing Ezra’s resentment. 

“It was you who lured us here, wasn’t it.” Hera stated, aiming her blaster at the Zabrak. She raised her commlink, “Chopper, get the _Ghost_ ready.”

Chopper beeped back an affirmative. The supplies were no longer the objective, getting away alive was. 

“Leaving so soon?” Maul mockingly asked, twirling his double-bladed lightsaber. Ezra’s hairs stood, and he knew Maul was about to attack.

“Yeah, we are,” Sabine said and threw one of her bombs. They quickly scrambled back and around the bend into another corridor to evade the blast. She threw another one, this time one of her smoke grenades for cover just in case. They almost made it down the hallway when Ezra felt a warning in the back of his mind, screaming at him for incoming danger. 

He turned around and raised his blade up just in time to deflect a spinning lightsaber. Maul recalled it back to his open palm as he continued walking at a leisure pace towards them. He was either very confident he would defeat them or the Zabrak had something up his sleeve. Either way, Ezra did not want to find out and followed after his companions.

His heart stuttered as he skidded to a halt. At the end of the hallway was a rayshield, effectively blocking them from reaching the hangar and their only escape. Maul had planned this, herded them into this direction and now they were helplessly trapped. 

Turning around, Ezra raised his blade, gnashing his teeth to suppress his fear. Not fear for himself, but fear at the prospect of failing to protect his loved ones. He did not want to fail anyone again, not after what happened to Kanan who was still recovering from his injuries. Zeb had stayed behind at Chopper base to help Kanan find his way around as well as doing some supply check work, which was too bad. Ezra could really use their help right about now. 

Maul came around the corner and stood there, waiting. “It does not have to be difficult, my apprentice,” he said with confidence. "Just give me what I want."

“I am _not_ your apprentice, and I never will be!” Ezra growled, turning his fear into anger. He recalled the Sith holocron teachings of how anger will give him strength, and strength was definitely something he needed right now.

“We will see,” Maul replied, his smile never fading. Ezra snapped and leaped forward, bringing his blade downwards. Instead of his blade meeting the skull of Maul, it hit empty air as Maul side stepped. 

Growling, Ezra sweeped his blade sideways and Maul blocked it with ease. Ezra attempted a few more times, but each time it was either blocked or the Zabrak would simply step out of the way, almost as if bored and Ezra’s frustration and anger grew. Eventually, Maul grew tired of child play and kicked Ezra in the chest, making him stumble backwards. 

Ezra barely had time to block an attack and Maul simply swung his second blade up, grazing flesh. Ezra cried out, his hand instinctively dropping his lightsaber in favor to reach out for the deep gash. That was a mistake and Maul used his deactivated lightsaber hilt to strike Ezra across the temple, sending the boy tumbling to the ground with a cry.

Hera and Sabine called out for Ezra in concern, aiming their useless weapons at the Zabrak who deflected every blast without any difficulty. Sabine cried out in pain when one of the blasts was redirected at her right hand, dropping one of her blasters.

“No!” Ezra cried out, and moved to get up when a metal foot forced him back down. He could feel his bones creak under the pressure and it was starting to become difficult to breathe as he struggled to get away from Maul. 

His eyes widened when he saw Hera and Sabine lift up into the air by some invisible force, and it took him a moment to realise that they were choking. They dropped their weapons in an attempt to fight the invisible grip around their necks to no avail. 

Ezra painfully craned his neck to look up to see Maul with his arm stretched out, his hand curling in on itself tighter and tighter. If he did not do anything fast, his friends would perish and that was nothing he could not afford. Screwing his eyes shut and ignoring the growing pain in his ribs, Ezra willed his tongue to work.

“P-Please! Stop!” He wheezed out, his fingernails digging painfully into the durasteel. Above him, Maul chuckled.

“And why should I stop?” Maul asked, and Ezra tried to calm himself. Maul sounded victorious as if knowing what Ezra was about to do, what he had wanted Ezra to do.

“I-I’ll do anything you want! Just please don’t kill my friends!”

“Anything?” Maul purred.

“Ezra, no!” Hera choked out, her eyes barely able to stay open. Ezra ignored her plea. 

“Yes… anything.” Tears stung Ezra’s eyes, but he knew that this may be the only way for his family to live another day. The grip around Sabine and Hera’s necks vanished and they collapsed to the floor, panting desperately for much needed air. 

“Then become my apprentice,” Maul said as he removed his foot from Ezra’s back. “Swear your loyalty to me.”

With some struggle, Ezra managed to hoist himself up onto his knees and solemnly turned to face Maul. His head hung low as shame creeped up on him, hearing Sabine’s desperate pleas.

“Ezra, don’t do it!” She coughed out, still attempting to catch her breath. Ezra bit the insides of his lips, trying his best to drown her words out as he focused on the metal feet that belonged to Maul.

“I swear to faithfully serve you as an apprentice,” he said, his lips twisted downwards in disgust and a tear rolled down his face. Ezra looked up, glaring at the smug Zabrak in hatred. “Now hold up your bargain and let my friends go.”

“Of course,” he said and Maul pressed a button on his wrist comlink and the ray shield dissipated. Neither Hera or Sabine made an attempt to move, giving longing looks at Ezra.

Maul reached out and roughly grabbed the boy by his sleeve, forcing him to his feet before wrapping an arm around him so that Ezra’s back was against the Zabrak’s chest. Ezra froze when he felt the cold metal of Maul’s hilt against his temple. 

“Ezra, tell your… former friends… to leave,” Maul said, his voice calm but held a promise of pain. 

“Leave,” Ezra’s voice trembled, his lips quivering as more tears threatened to spill. It was hard enough to willingly become Maul’s apprentice. It was harder to force his family to leave. 

“No,” Hera said as she and Sabine climbed to their feet. “We’re not leaving without you.”

“You misunderstand,” Maul’s tone went lower. “If you do not accept my apprentice’s ‘sacrifice’, then he will face punishment for your lack of understanding. After all, who needs a limb anyways?”

He lowered the lightsaber hilt towards Ezra’s arm and the boy tried not to squirm, wanting nothing more than the distance himself from the Zabrak. Hera gritted her teeth and Sabine let out a curse.

“Go,” Ezra pleaded out, his eyes desperately looking at them. “Please.”

Hera was the first to turn away, averting her eyes in shame as she grabbed hold of Sabine’s arm, who had still refused to leave. The Twi’lek did not leave without one last glance as she looked at Ezra with tear filled eyes. “We’ll come for you.”

“Goodbye,” Ezra choked out, “Hera… Sabine.”

“Goodbye, Ezra,” Sabine said, biting her lips to hold back the tears before turning to follow Hera towards the _Ghost_ , leaving Ezra alone with Maul. 

Ezra’s stomach churned at the thought. He would never see the Spectres or the Rebellion again. He never even had a chance to say goodbye to Zeb or Chopper… or Kanan. The Jedi had kept his distance after the events of Malachor, not that Ezra blamed him for it. After all, it had been Ezra’s fault that his master - _former_ master - was blind. But he had not even said goodbye when he left for this op, not knowing that he would never return. And now, he was stuck here with the creature of his hatred, Maul, his new master. 

“Come, Apprentice.” Maul’s voice brought Ezra out of his somber thoughts. “We have much to do.”

They turned away from the direction that Hera and Sabine went, and Maul dragged Ezra down the hallway with a tight grip around his arm towards the other side of the base where Maul's gauntlet lied in waiting. 

**Author's Note:**

> May come back to edit this... Was a bit late with this October 9th entry for Whumptober (cat temporarily killed my laptop) and I am too tired to edit/rework it. But finally! I got to do a Maul and Ezra fic.


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